Welcome Freshmen to the Department of English 201 Andrews Hall 402.472.1811 unl.edu/english/advising-office College of Arts and Sciences University of Nebraska Lincoln
Welcome to the University of Nebraska Lincoln and the Department of English! The English Department s freshmen mentoring program is a joint effort between the English Undergraduate Advising Office staff and the English Student Advisory Board. All first-year English and Film Studies majors are automatically enrolled. This program centers on the idea that peer mentoring for first-year students promotes success by encouraging participation in internships, research, and beyond-theclassroom faculty interactions. By being part of our peer mentoring, students will have the opportunity to build strong relationships with their fellow freshmen and upper classmen in their major. Benefits Upon successful completion of the freshmen mentoring program, first-year English and Film Studies majors will: Get to know successful peers in the English and Film Studies programs Attend events to help crystalize goals related to departmental scholarships, internships, research, & professional development Obtain advice on recommended courses for the spring semester Learn about faculty research interests and publications in order to identify potential future mentors Have fun participating in department events Requirements First-year students enrolled in the UNL English Freshmen mentoring program are required to: Attend three fall events: 1. Freshmen Welcome 2. Freshmen Advising for Spring 3. End-of-Semester Celebration Communicate with assigned mentor Meet with the English Undergraduate Advising Office staff 1
Meet the English Advising Team KELLY PAYNE kpayne2@unl.edu In addition to serving as the English & Film Studies major advisor, I teach courses in American literature, professional practices, and mentoring in English. I received my bachelors degree from Saint Mary s College (Notre Dame, Indiana) and my masters degree from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. In my time away from campus, I enjoy reading novels, walking my boxer puppy, reading Roald Dahl s books to my son, and traveling to Belgium and other locations in Europe. ANGELA JOCKERS ajockers2@unl.edu As well as working closely with our English Student Advisory Board, I organize numerous fall and spring events for our English and Film Studies majors. I have BA degrees in English and Journalism and an MA in English. Before coming to UNL, I worked as the Assistant Director of the Writing Center at Southern Illinois University, the Coordinator of Tutorial Services at the University of Northern Colorado, and as a freelance copy editor in California. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, cooking, hiking, reading, and yoga. FRAE BINDER ENGL-AdvisingIntern@unl.edu I will be the English Undergraduate Advising Office intern for the fall semester, and I will email weekly information to all our majors regarding university deadlines, department events, and must-hear-about opportunities. I look forward to seeing you around the office! JENNA BRENDE ENGL-AdvisingIntern@unl.edu I will be the English Undergraduate Advising Office intern during spring 2017. In my role, I look forward to helping students figure out just how much they can do with an English major. As someone who has changed majors so many times, I hope to be a light in a sometimes confusing time for students! 2
Meet the Mentors: 2016 2017 FAITH ABERLE As a junior English major concentrating in editing and publishing, Faith loves books and the process of how they get from the author to the reader. She also is pursuing a French major and a minor in Digital Humanities. She stays involved on campus through Greek life, French Club, and the UNL chapter of the American Copy Editors Society. NATALIE WIEBELHAUS Born and raised in Lincoln, Natalie is a senior English and Global Studies double major with minors in Arabic, Human Rights & Humanitarian Affairs and National Security Studies. She is a writing consultant at the UNL Writing Center and a Strengths Coach for the Don Clifton Strengths Institute. As a small group leader in a Christian student organization, The Rock, she keeps busy with leadership and events throughout the year. She enjoys reading global literature, interpreting life through writing poetry, and spending time with family and friends. BERKLEY FIERRO Berkley is a third-year English major with minors in Criminal Justice and Ethnic Studies. She is from Rapid City, South Dakota, but living eight hours away from home doesn t scare her! Berkley has embraced her move to Lincoln by joining several on campus organizations, such as the Pre-Law Club, Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and Tau Sigma Honor Society. Aside from campus life, Berkley works as an Intramural Sports Official and runner at a local law firm. When not at work or school, she can most likely be found pinning DIY ideas to her Pinterest board, watching a Who-done-it? crime show, or listening to a Beyoncé song. 3
AUSTIN EVANS Austin is a senior studying English, Education, and Psychology. He hopes to pursue a career in publishing and editing or in college advising. From Omaha, Nebraska, Austin is a very relaxed person and on most nights enjoys either reading or watching Netflix. During daytime hours, if you need to find him, just look in a library. He is a true believer that people can always learn more and gain experience from the written word. HAILEY FISCHER Hailey is a second year student studying English, Film, and Digital Humanities. She volunteers with the Writing Lincoln Initiative at the Malone Community Center and helps with their second and third grade writing club. In her free time she likes to run, write, and watch movies. She hopes to have a job in publishing or film someday, and if that doesn t work, plans on becoming Batman. JANETTE AVELAR Janette Avelar is a 4th year English, Spanish, and Latin American Studies major and Philosophy minor. She is most interested in the way these areas of study intersect through literature and cultural studies, and is particularly fascinated by modernist authors ability to play with temporal perception in writing. She has participated with UCARE through the Department of Modern Languages, was the Undergraduate Advising Intern in the English Advising Office for Spring 2015, and is currently a Peer Scholarship Advisor for the Honors Program. Janette likes to keep up to date with new restaurants and coffee shops in the area. In her spare time, she likes to browse Craigslist ads and explore the bike trails in Lincoln. 4
JENNA BRENDE Jenna is a senior English major and business minor. She changed her major about six times before happily landing in the English department and knows what it is like to be undecided about what to do with life. In her free time, Jenna enjoys biking and yoga, and all types of new experiences. When not found doing homework or studying, she is most likely crocheting and watching Harry Potter. Jenna will be the Undergraduate English Advising intern in the English Advising Office for Spring 2017. LUCY KOCH Lucy is a junior English and Ethnic Studies major with minors in Business, History, and African-American Studies. In addition to being a peer mentor for the department and a member of the English Student Advisory Board, she is a Student Ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences and works as a tutor at the UNL Writing Center. For the 2015-2016 academic year, Lucy gained experience as an intern for a NY publishing house while studying at UNL, and currently is working on a project that brings together both her English and Ethnic Studies backgrounds while highlighting the lack of diversity in the publishing industry. KATIE GURTIS Katie is a senior English and French major from Omaha, Nebraska. She has a passion for reading and creative writing and puts her skills to work as a poetry editor for Laurus undergraduate literary magazine. Outside of class, she loves watching film adaptations of books. She hopes to pursue a career as a Talent Agent in the film industry upon graduation. In May, she was an intern at the 2016 Cannes International Film Festival through The American Pavilion and can t wait to share her stories from that experience with the Freshmen class! 5
ROZ THALKEN Roz is a Senior English and Film Studies major from Kearney with minors in Spanish and Digital Humanities. She enjoys learning about how to combine literature with technology in order to discover something new and unique. She enjoys reading as much as possible, gardening, playing and listening to music, and working at her job serving coffee at the Mill. Roz will be working as a research assistant through UCARE this year digitizing the George Henry Lewes Review over George Eliot s work. She also previously interned and now works in the UNL Literary Lab doing research for digital humanities. She hopes to continue her involvement with the Digital Humanities program at UNL and to be able to stay in academia for a career. FRAE BINDER Frae is a senior English major and Political Science minor. After graduation, Frae hopes to work with Public Policy or with the non-profit sector. On campus, Frae is heavily involved in Phi Mu where she currently serves as president of the sorority. She has had the pleasure of working with new students through UNL s New Student Enrollment program and looks forward to working more closely with first-year students. MEGAN GIERASCH Megan is a senior English and Film Studies major with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in Art. Outside of class, she is usually working at one of several jobs or watching cartoons. She is incredibly honored to be a peer mentor for the English department and an intern at UNL s literary publication, Prairie Schooner, this fall. She has a great passion for film and fiction writing and hopes to work in the publishing industry after graduation. Her BIG dream, however, is to be a successful author of a fantasy book series. 6
Answers to these questions and more are coming fall semester 2016! When will I register for spring classes? How can I get involved in the department? What is a concentration? How does major advising work? How do I find out about upcoming major events? What types of opportunities will there be for me as an English or Film Studies major? Like us on Facebook: UNL English Department UNL English Freshmen Mentoring Program UNL does not discriminate based upon any protected status. Please see go.unl.edu/nondiscrimination. 2016. PL1605.